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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>The two species live in central Africa, separated by a vast swathe of rainforest, and are both listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.<\/a><\/p>\n More related content:<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> The western lowland gorilla is the most numerous of the four subspecies, with population estimates often cited at 100,000-200,000. However, due to their dense, remote habitat, no one knows for sure how many exist. The least numerous is the cross river gorilla, which is confined to scattered areas of forest in Nigeria and Cameroon, and is thought to number no more than 300 individuals.<\/p>\n Recent surveys in the Virunga Massif estimate that the mountain gorilla population now stands at 1,004.<\/p>\n Sir David Attenborough, who first visited the mountain gorillas in 1979, said, \u201cIt is incredibly heartening to see how the efforts of so many different groups \u2013 communities, governments, NGOs \u2013 have paid off. The threats to mountain gorillas haven\u2019t disappeared entirely, of course, so now the challenge must be to ensure that these achievements are sustained long into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n In November 2018, it was announced that mountain gorillas are no longer critically endangered, although conservation work continues.\u00a0<\/p>\n Read why mountain gorillas no longer Critically Endangered<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> Gorillas are the world\u2019s largest primates, with males weighing around 143-169kg and standing about 1.4-1.8m tall in the wild. Females tend to be 20-30cm shorter and weigh roughly half what the males do. A male gorilla\u2019s armspan is enormous, stretching 2.3-2.6m, while female gorilla\u2019s armspans are proportionally smaller.<\/p>\n The world\u2019s largest gorilla in the wild weighed 267kg when it was shot in Cameroon, but it wasn\u2019t as tall as another silverback gorilla that was shot in Congo in 1938. That silverback stood 1.95m tall, measured 1.98m around the chest, had a 2.7m armspan and weighed an impressive 219kg.<\/p>\n In captivity, gorillas have reached even greater weights, sometimes in excess of 310kg.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to measure how strong a gorilla really is, but estimates range from around 4x \u2013 10x stronger than your average human. A silverback gorilla\u2019s strength is certainly formidable. All gorillas can tear down banana trees without trying too hard, they\u2019ve escaped from cages by bending the iron bars, and they have a bite force of around 1300 psi, double that of a lion.<\/p>\n But apart from in conflicts between silverbacks, gorillas tend to be gentle giants that rarely display their full strength. They\u2019re also built quite differently to humans, which makes them more efficient climbers and better adapted to walking on all fours. That means that measuring their strength by human standards doesn\u2019t make a huge amount of sense, as they wouldn\u2019t be able to perform some of the movements we take for granted because they balance completely differently.<\/p>\n Please note that external videos may contain ads:<\/em><\/p> Gorillas are highly intelligent. They don\u2019t use tools as much as chimpanzees<\/a> do, but wild gorillas have been seen using sticks to gauge water depth, bamboo as ladders to help infants climb, and recently gorillas have been seen for the first time using sticks to eat ants without being stung.<\/p>\n Another sign of intelligence is the gorilla\u2019s impressive communication abilities, and they\u2019ve been recorded making some 25 different sounds.<\/p>\n One famous captive-born individual, Koko, has been taught sign language since she was a year old. By the age of 40, she had a library of about 1,000 signs and could understand some 2,000 words of English.<\/p>\n Find out how much you know about the extraordinary group of animals to which we belong!<\/p>\n Take the quiz<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> Gorillas are mainly herbivores, and their diet mostly consists of bamboo, fruit and leafy plants, though western lowland gorillas also eat small insects. Adult gorillas can eat up to 30kg of food each day.<\/p>\n As roaming herbivores, gorillas play a vital role in seed dispersal. Many large fruit trees depend upon these animals to survive.<\/p>\n![\""Alpha\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2022\/02\/Chimpanzee_Kibale-Forest-National-Park_Uganda_Marc-Guitard_GettyImages-625850102-48d993a.jpg?quality=45&resize=556,556"\" "\\"\"Alpha\\"")
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>Why are gorillas endangered and how many gorillas are left?<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Good news for mountain gorillas!<\/h4>\n
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<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>How much does a gorilla weigh?<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>How strong is a gorilla?<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>How clever are gorillas?<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>How good is your primate knowledge?<\/h4>\n
What do gorillas eat?<\/h2>\n
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